Apparatus for grinding plate-glass.



G. L. SMITH.

ABPARATUS FOR GRINDING PLATE GLASS. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 24,1913.

1,1 16,145, Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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ENT FFTCE.

GA.RLTON Li SMITH, F SAGINAW, MICHIGAN AZPIARATUS FOR GRINDING PLATE-GLASS;

I Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLTON L. SMITH, a

' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Grinding Plate-Glass, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines or apparatus for grinding plate glass and relates particularly to grinding runners for such machines.

As is well known to'persons familiar with the art, in machines of the type to which my invention relates, the glass plates to be ground are laidflat upon a large rotating table or deck, and one or more grinding disks or runners, usually two of different diameters, are rotatably mounted above .said deck or table and adapted to rest upon the glass, preferably in such manner that their pressure upon the glass may be adjusted. Secured to the faces of these grinding disks or runners are runner bars havingprojections, the outer or lower ends of whic form the working or grinding faces of the runners. Said disks or runners may be rotated positively by suitable power connections, but are more often arranged to be rotated by their frictional contact with the glass on therotating table beneath them.

The operation of these machines, of course, involves the simultaneous grinding of the several plates of glass with which the table or deck is covered, and considerable breakage ordinarily occurs because the runners catch at times on the edges of the glass as they advance from one plate to another.

This invention contem lates a peculiar and novel arrangemento. the runner bars, having a number of practical advantages, and among other things, breakage from this cause will be minimized and largely eliminated.

According to this improvement, the runner is provided with a series of bars which extend tangent to a circle described from the center of the disk or. runner, a desirable relation being such that said bars .will respectively extend at an angle of twelve or fifteen degrees to radial lines extending through their outer ends. Said runner bars thus define substantially trian ular spaces or segments of the runner surfiice, each of which is filled by successively shorter runner bars arranged parallel to a tangential runner bar which defines that particular se ment \Vhile', as regards the foregoing object, it is immaterial in which direction the runner bars are inclined relative to the direction of rotation of said runner, the inclination of said runner bars is preferably such that the inner ends thereof willbe in advance of their outer ends. This relation has. a further very important advantage in washing the'glass and runners when changing from a coarser to a finer grade of abrasive, where the wash water is delivered to the runners through central openings there- 1n,,in the respect that channels are formed at the front sides of the runner bars which are continuous from the inner ends of said runner bars to thefouter edges of said runners, and in the case of the tangential runner .bars, from the central openings in said runner bars to the outer edges thereof.

In washing the glass and runners, the ccntrifu al action of said runners will cause the was water delivered into the central openings of said runners to pass outwardly through said channels or passageways rapidly and with a strong current, which will carry with it all grit and abrasive. I have found in practice that, with runners embodying this construction, the glass and runners may be washed in from one-third to one-half the time required for washing the glass and runners by delivering the ..water onto the glass outside of the runners, andthat the washing will be done much more thoroughly and effectively.

In the accompanyin my invention is fully 1llustrated I*igu1-e 1 is a plan view of the .under side of a grind lng" runner embodying my invention. Fig.- 2 is an enlarged side view of one of the run-- ner bars; and Fig. 3 isja sectional plan view of the runner bar on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring, now to the drawing, A designates, as a whole, a grindin runner of my invention secured to the un er face or side of which are runner bars designated, as a whole, a, Excepting as hereinafter particularly pointed out, both said runner and runner bars may be of any usual era proved constructiom'and will be readily un erstood by persons familiar with the art without a detailed description thereof.

In the drawing, ldesignatcs the backs of the runners, formed-onwhich are the usual projections 2, the ends '3 of which rest upon the plates of glass in the operation of the drawings, in which grinder and lform the working" or grinding ttacesthereot Said'runner bars are usually and preferably made of cast iron.

In the operation of the machine, the ends oi"- the projections 2 rest flat on the glass, and in order that the particles of abrasive will pass-freely beneath the ends of said projections and shall not collect on the advancing sides thereof, the advancing sides of said projections are preferably rearwardly inclined or beveled, as shown at 4,

. spectively,

' i l/ ull the runner bars 'arran ed as described, it is obvious that the di erent runner bars will pass the edges of the difierent phates of glass on which the machine or apparatus is operating with. what may be described as a draw-cut edect, and that the advancing edges of therearward projec-v tions 2 on the same runner bar will cross-the meeting edges of'theplates of glass before the ad acent front projections pass out of engagement therewith, and also that the advancing ends of succeeding bars will cross the meeting. edges of the plates of glass before preceding bars have passed out of'eflga'gement therewith, so that, at their meetin edges the plates of glass will always be su'jected to the weight of closely adjacent runner bar projections, which will operate to hold them flat and to prevent the edges thereof from springing up'so that the runner bars will catch thereon. This. draw-cut action of the bars in passing over the joints will cause the runner to ride a high joint better and with less danger of breaking the glass. As regards this feature of my invention, it is immaterial whether the inner or the outer ends of said runner bars are in advance, relatively to the direction or rotation oat said disk or runner, and also whether the shorter supplemental runner bars 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10' are disposed parallel with the runner bars 5 at the front or rear sides of the different segments of the runners defined thereby. Preferably, however, and as shown, the runner bars '5 are positioned with their inner ends in advance-ot their outer ends, and the shorter runner bars 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are shown as being arranged parallel with the runner bars 5 at the front sides of the different segments defined thereby. This arrangement will give all of said runbars a rearward set relatively to the direction of rotation of said runner, which set will decrease from the :tront to the back runner of each parallel series of bars.

As shown, the runner is of the type in which the washwater, and, if desired, the abrasive, is designed to be delivered thereto through a central opening therein, desig nated 11, said opening, as shown, being substantially the same size as the circle to which the runner bars 5 are tangent.

With runners constructed as described, continuous channels 12 will be formed at the front sides of the runner bars a which will be continuous from the inner ends of the difierent runner bars to the outer edges of the runners, and, in the case of the tanential runner bars 5, will be continuous rom the central opening 11 in the runner through which the wash water is-delivered thereto to their outer edges. Thus, when the runner bars a are given a rearward set in accordance with the preferable construction shown, said channels 12 will have a corresponding rearward set, and the cen-' trifugal actionof the runners in operation Wlll cause the wash water delivered mto .the central openings of said runners to pass outwardly rapidly into the strong current which will carry with it all grit and abrasive, and willresult in effectively and thoroughly washi'ngthe glass and runners in a very short time as compared with any method bf washing of which I had knowledge prior to the production of my improved rindi-ng runner.

lit wil be observed that it is important that the projections on intermediate or suppleinental runners shall terminate short of the adjacent main runner 5, so that there shall not only be a clear channel between each adjacent pair of supplemental runners but alongside of each main runner.

The shaft connection for the runner is formed ina hub 13 supported within the central opening 11 of said runner by a spider, said hubsbeing provided with a central bore 14 to receive the runner shaftnot shown.

lln an applicationfor U. S. Letters 'Pat cut for a machine for polishing plate glass, filed by me concurrently herewith and num bored serially 791,521, Ihave shown and described a polishing runner which comprises a body portion having a multiplicity of relatively very small felt pads secured thereto and which project from the under face thereof. As with the grinding runner of the present application, the polishing runner of my said co-pending application, Serial No. 791,521, is designed to'be washed by water delivered thereto through a sub- 'stantially. central opening therein, and to facilitate the washing of said polishing runner, the felt pads thereof are arranged in the same relation to the central opening therein as, in the present application, the runner bars are arranged relatively to the hole in the grinding runner. Considered broadly and in a mechanical sense, the grinding runner of the present application and the polishing runner of my said. copending applicationare equivalents. Ihave not, therefore, included in my said co-pendjections on the under face of the runner of the present application and for the felt of my said co-pending application.

Iclaim: .1. A runner for a glass grinding machine, comprising a series ofrunner bars which are tangent to a circle adjacent to'the center of pads ' said runner, and runner bars in the segment bein ments defined by said first runner bars, the bars in each segmentbeing parallelwith one of the runner bars which de'fine said segment, substantially as described, each of said runner bars comprising a series of 'ro jections spaced apart lengthwise thereofi 2. A runner'for a glass grinding machine comprising a series of runner bars which are tangent to a circle adjacent to the center of said runner, and the outer ends of which are set rearwardly relatively to the designed direction of rotation of said runner,

and runner bars in the segments defined by said first runner bars, the bars in each segment being parallel with the runner bar at the front side of the se ent, substantially as described, each of said runner bars comprising a series of projections spaced apart lengthwise thereof.

3. A runner foraglass grinding machine comprising a series'of runner bars whi h are tangent to a circle adjacent to the cen er of said runner, the relation being. such that said runner bars will extend at angles of approximately 15 degrees to radial lines extending through the outer ends of said run ner bars, and said runner bars also comprising runner bars in the segments defined by said first runner bars, the bars. in each segparallel with one of the runner bars whic define said segment, substantially as described, each of said runner bars comprising a series of projections spaced apart lengthwise thereof.

4. A runner for a glass finishing machine provided with an opening adjacent to its center, said runner having projections on its under face comprising series of projections which extend parallel with a circle adjacent to the center of said runner and the outer ends of which are set rearwardly relatively to the .designeddirection of rotation of said runner, and series of projections in the segments defined by said first series of projeotions and which extend parallel with said first series of projections, said series of projections defining channels which are continu on fr m the in e ends f sa d series, s spectiyely, to the outer edge of said runner, and, in the case of the tangential series of pro ections, are continuous from the circle to which said series of projections are tangents 5. A runner for a glass finishing machine provided with an opening adjacent to its center, saidrunner having spaced projections comprising series of projections which are tangent to a circle adjacent to the center of said runner, and series of projections in the segments defined by said first series of projections which extend parallel with said first series of projections, the outer ends of said series of projections being set rearwardly relatively to the designed direction of rotation of said runner, substantially as described.

6. A runner for a glass grinding machine, comprising a series of runner bars which are tangent to a circle which is substantially concentric with said runner, and runner bars in the segments defined by said first runner bars, the'bars in each segment being parallel with one of-the runner bars which define said segment, and the advancing sides of the projections on said runner bars being downwardly and rearwardly inclined, substantially as described;

7-. A runner for a glass grinding machine, comprising a series .of main runner bars which are tangent to a circle described from the center of said runner, and supplemental runner bars in the segments defined by said. first runner bars, the bars in each segment being parallel with one of the main runner bars which define said segment and terminate short of the adjacent main runner bar, substantially as described. i

8. A runner for a glass grinding machine comprising a series of main runner bars which are tangent to a circle described from the center of said runner, and the outer ends of which are set rearwardly relatively to the designed direction of rotation of said runner, and supplemental runnerb'ars in the segments defined by said first runner bars,

which are tangent to a circle described from I short of the adjacent main runner bar, subthe center of said runner, the relation being stantially as described.

such that said runner bars Will extend at lln testimony that I claim the foregoing as angles of approximately 15 degrees to radial my invention, ll afi'ix my signature in preslines extending through the enter ends of enee of two subscribing itnesses this 3rd 15 said runner bars, and supplemental runner day of September, A. D, 19136 bars in the segments defined by said first CARLTON L. SMITH. runner bars, the bars in each segment being Witnesses: 'jgarallel with one of the main runner bars ARTHUR l8. CRANE,

in which define said segment and terminate G Boiennnr 

